A whopping 60% (!!!) of candidates get rejected during PWC aptitude testing when they apply for a job.

The article below will give you insights to help you be among those who have made it and got a job at PWC, first time. You will get a step-by-step overview of the best tips to successfully pass the PwC candidate assessment and recruitment process.

We are a team of experienced organisational psychologists and recruiters. We share proven proven tips and aptitude practice tests and examples to pass PWC tests.

This is your 2019-2020 guide to passing the PWC aptitude tests, interviews and assessment centre. Enjoy and best of luck!

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is one of the largest professional services firms in the world and is regarded by many as the top place to work at. It comes as no surprise that each year PwC receive over 100,000 job applications in the UK alone for just a few job openings.

To make it easier to screen through thousands of applications in search for the best candidate, PwC divided the recruitment process into five stages. Competition for their jobs is extremely fierce and you need to make sure to perform your best at each and every stage of the recruitment process; starting with your online application, through to your online assessments, interviews and the assessment centre.

STEP 1

PwC Online application

Once you have done the necessary research about PwC and decided on the programme you wish to apply for:

You need to complete the online form which includes: your A-Level results, schools that you have attended, relevant work experience and, motivational questions depending on the business area you apply to.

You need to make sure you have provided accurate information before your submission and you should never leave this until the last minute.

Tip: apply as early as possible as this increases your chances of being reviewed on a rolling basis. Check your email frequently in case HR department should require any clarification or further details.

STEP 2

PwC assessment aptitude test online

Every candidate applying to PwC is required to take at least one of the PwC assessment tests, which are supplied by the well-known company CEB SHL. These will include PwC:

a specifically tailored PwC work style preference questionnaire depending on your position

The difficulty level of the assessments will depend on the business area and position you applied to so be sure to carefully read all the information in the email from PwC asking you to complete the aptitude tests.

PwC numerical reasoning test

If it has been a while since you did maths – do not worry! All you have to do is a quick recap of basic GCSE calculations, such as ratios, percentages and reading data off charts. What makes PwC numerical reasoning test difficult is not the knowledge tested, but how you reason with the information presented in the time limit under the pressure involved.

You will only have less than a minute to answer each question so the best way you can make sure to do your utmost is through practicing numerical reasoning test questions; this way you will familiarise yourself with typical questions and become more comfortable increasing your confidence.

Tip: Remember that it is the stress and time pressure that is challenging – not the lack of knowledge! You need to learn to manage these and the best way by far to achieve this is by practicing tests in a safe environment before your actual test. You do not want your actual job or internship test to become a battleground. Remember, you have already successfully gone through the application process which tens of of thousands of applicants have not managed.

If you are looking for PwC style numerical reasoning test with answers, worked-solutions and professional score reports including personalised tips based on your performance – then Graduates First has it covered. Take a FREE test now.

PwC style Numerical Reasoning Test Example

PwC logical reasoning test

Quite different from other tests, PwC logical reasoning test does not examine any particular area, but rather exposes candidates to 5 diagrams with varying shapes and spatial arrangements, and asks them to find the right pattern to identify what comes next in the sequence.

The main difficulty of the PwC logical reasoning test is that there is no prior knowledge required and there is no limit to how abstract these patterns and trends can be; including size, arrangement, movements and colours of two and three-dimensional shapes

Sounds complex? In fact, it actually is not as difficult as it seems. What you need to do is to have a look at sample questions to get comfortable with what these questions are after; and the only way to achieve this is to look to practice specific PwC style logical reasoning tests such as the ones offered by Graduates First. See sample question below.

If you are looking for PwC style logical reasoning test with answers, worked-solutions and professional score reports including personalised tips based on your performance, then Graduates First has it covered.

PwC style Logical / Diagrammatic Reasoning Test Example

In the example above you will have ONLY around 45 seconds to notice that:

the arrow moves around the diagram

shapes change from triangle to circle to square and

the long line is either horizontal or vertical, and then to find the right answer! There is a lot of time pressure which often leaves candidates anxious and harms their performance.

Got the answer? Check it out at the bottom of the page. For more FREE QUESTIONS similar to PwC aptitude tests, register with Graduates First and take your FREE logical / diagrammatic reasoning test now!

PwC verbal reasoning test

In the same way that PwC numerical reasoning test examines how confident a candidate is in his numerical calculations, PwC verbal reasoning test strives to identify whether a candidate can accurately extract the relevant information from a previously unseen passage of text to analyse whether the following statements are true, false, or impossible to say based on the information contained in the passage of text.

PwC verbal reasoning test could be more difficult for people who are not native-speakers in English, but nevertheless the advice we give you is to practice verbal reasoning test questions as much as you can to understand a specific way the texts are build and questions asked

Remember, you will have around 45 seconds to answer questions like the following

PwC style verbal reasoning test example

Got the answer? Check it out at the bottom of the page.

For more FREE QUESTIONS similar to PwC online aptitude tests, register with Graduates First and take your FREE and take your FREE verbal reasoning test now!

PwC work style preference questionnaire

PwC will also examine candidates on their ability to fit into the company culture and teamwork by requiring them to take PwC work style preference questionnaire (also known as the PwC OPQ assessment test)

This test, consisting of over 100 questions, will take you through some hypothetical situations asking you to select the answer that best describes you. PwC design their work style preference questionnaire in a way that makes it very difficult to cheat. You need to give consistent and honest answers instead of answering in a way that you think might be more desirable given the job you are applying for.

There is no right or wrong answer. In the PwC OPQ assessment it all comes down to whether your personality traits match what is expected of a PwC employee.

If you want to see what occupational personality questionnaire (OPQ)looks like, you can take a look WPQ test developed by Graduates First, which was designed by Chartered Organisational Psychologists with previous experience working for CEB SHL. This assessment is based on the same big 5 model of personality that is used by the OPQ. Taking the WPQ will give you a good idea of what an employer may see when a candidate completes the PwC OPQ assessment.

PwC OPQ style personality questionnaire (normative)

STEP 3

PwC First interview

If you have successfully passed the online tests stage, you will be invited to a one-on-one interview with a HR professional from PwC. This interview will either take the form of a telephone interview or a face-to-face interview at the PwC office of your choice. This is an opportunity for you to show your interest and potential skills that make you suitable for the particular role that you applied to.

You should prepare some ideas of examples that you can later use during your interview based on the most common types of interview questions.

Tip: If you are expecting a telephone interview, make sure you find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed.

Want to know what questions could come up in your interview? Graduates First can help with the Question Identifier Tool (QIT). You can buy it by following this link.

STEP 4

PwC Assessment day

The PwC assessment day consists of two parts:

Part 1:

you will be asked to complete a written communication exercise and retake some aptitude tests; so beware that you do not leverage the help of friends during the online PwC aptitude test, or you might get caught out

Part 2:

you will be required to take part in the individual or group in-tray exercise. This can also involve awritten exercise , presentation or any other form which will expose you to a task that does not require any prior preparations.

Tip: remember to stay calm and focused; the HR assessors will observe your behaviour throughout the PwC assessment centre.

You can make sure that you stand out from the competition by following some of the tips that our Chartered Organisational Psychologists prepared to help you with your PwC assessment centre

STEP 5

PwC Final interview

This will be a one-on-one interview with the partner or director from the business area you wish to join.

It will becompetency based and it is a final chance for you to demonstrate your passion, skills and enthusiasm to work for PwC. After one to two weeks later, you will hear back on the outcome of the interview.

Do you want to pass your PwC assessments first time? Sign up for tools offered by Graduates First, the only aptitude practice test experts that provide tests to over 70 UK universities and their students, and also across Asia and continental Europe. We have firsthand experience of designing CEB SHL aptitude tests to help you with all the preparation required for your PwC assessment process.

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